Cheating on a rise
The cases of police arresting people on charge of foreign employment fraud has been increasing of late. A total of 1,516 such fraud complaints have been registered in the Department of Foreign Employment so far this year as opposed to 695 complaints last year.
‘Cheating’ is a broad category mostly involving deception and fraud by private recruitment agencies during the pre-departure phase, the department defines.
The department gets at least 12 fraud cases per day; some days, it receives up to 80 cases against fraudulent overseas job recruitment companies and agents.
On May 7, police arrested Sitaram Bastola for conning 101 people. The 68-year-old is accused of swindling Rs 35.6 million from these people by promising to send them to the US, Germany, the UK and Japan.
Nepal Labour Migration Report 2022 explains that the skill of migrant workers is an important determinant for better opportunities, higher salaries and benefits, and stronger bargaining power in the international labor market.
Officials suspect many people who end up being cheated by foreign employment companies and agents are those who do not possess the qualifications or the skill sets to apply for overseas jobs through a legal channel.
“If you are competent then there is no need to be lured by the cheaters,” says Umakanta Acharya, director general at the Department of Foreign Employment.
Migrant workers unwilling to file complaints
The task of overseas job recruitment firms, which are popularly known as manpower companies in Nepal, is to connect job-seekers with employers abroad and support them in the overall process of migration such as documentation, obtaining visas, and acquiring labor approvals, among other services.
But many aspiring migrant workers are being cheated either by manpower agencies or fraud agents, because there are so many of them for a person to figure out their legitimacy. Officials say despite being conned, many victims are often unwilling to file complaints owing to threats and the fear of retaliation.
Where to register?
In Nepal, the Department of Foreign Employment and the Foreign Employment Tribunal are responsible for handling disputes related to foreign employment. The department’s Complaint Registration and Investigation Section receives cases against individuals and private recruitment agencies from migrant workers or their family members.
Complaints against fraudulent agencies are handled by the department itself, while complaints against individuals are forwarded to the tribunal. The tribunal’s records show that 441, 548, and 316 cases were filed in the fiscal year 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22, respectively.
There are also migrant resource centers in 39 district administration offices across the country, where migrant workers can get counseling at the time when they take their passports.
The foreign employment department officials suggest people to visit them to verify the legitimacy of the manpower companies and agencies, but such a recourse is rarely taken by an individual applying for an overseas job.
“People should not give money to someone. If they have to give money then they must take receipts which many don’t do,” says Acharya. “Many of the transactions are not done through the banking channel. And even if they are, there are no explanations about the reasons for transactions. This is why many people end up being conned.”
Since the victims do not always have actual receipt or contract, Acharya adds the lack of evidence makes it nearly impossible for people to substantiate their claims.